March 13, 2026
Dear South Shore Line Riders,
Sunday, March 15th, is my last day leading the South Shore Line (SSL). I am retiring after 43 years in the railroad industry. Working on the South Shore Line over the past 12 years has been the highlight of my career, and I’m leaving at a time when I am very excited about the railroad’s future.
I was hired by the NICTD Board of Trustees in October 2014. The Board entrusted me with a mission: deliver the elements of their recently approved 20-Year Strategic Plan. The two key elements of the plan were double tracking the 26-mile section of the main line railroad from Gary to Michigan City and extending the service on the West Lake Corridor with a line extension from north Hammond to the Munster/Dyer border. Though the timeline for the plan was 20 years, it needed, in my opinion, to be done in 20 minutes. The plan was bold, it was exciting, and it made perfect sense. The plan was, as Daniel Burnham once advocated for, “a big plan.” In early 2015, we implemented limited stop service from South Bend on a train we named the “Sunrise Express.” The Sunrise Express reduced travel time from South Bend to and from Chicago to less than 2 hours, saving over 30 minutes of travel time. The future of improved service for the railroad was captured in the Sunrise Express and was the predecessor for the start of the Double Track project in early 2016. Support for both these projects grew, often exponentially, and these projects were approved for $1.6B in funding. This funding came from local, county, state, and federal sources and was achieved with leadership support on a bipartisan basis from our northwest Indiana delegation, both state and federal.
The Double Track project, which opened on May 14, 2024, has changed the face of what we now call the Lakeshore Corridor of the SSL. We added high-level boarding platforms at Miller Beach, Portage/Odgen Dunes, and 11th Street in Michigan City, built 2 new train stations at Miller Beach and 11th Street, installed 5 high-speed crossovers to allow for operational flexibility, and closed 20 at-grade crossings. From an improved service standpoint, we added 14 weekday trains and 2 weekend trips, reduced travel time, increased on-time performance, and made travel more accessible for our riders. We continue to explore ways to improve our reliability, and I am confident that our riders will see more benefits from this project in the coming months.
The job is not done, and of course, it never should be as we strive for continuous improvement. Our annual investment in the infrastructure of the railroad to maintain our state of good repair is essential. We also have several large projects underway. The $200M capacity enhancement project at the terminal in downtown Chicago will be completed at the end of this year and will not only increase capacity, but also improve on-time performance. This project will also pave the way for additional time savings on Metra’s Electric District when they install bi-directional signaling and increase track speed from 65 mph to 70, 75, or even 79 mph. When this happens, it is possible for the Lakeshore Corridor and Monon Corridor trains to travel on Metra track 3 or 4 from our entry point at Kensington Interlocking plant all the way to Millennium Station. This would allow us to save between 5 and 10 minutes of travel time for every SSL train. Other improvements, like modernizing our station at Gary Metro Center with a high-level platform boarding will greatly benefit our customers with disabilities, reduce boarding and alighting time for all our customers, and open this station for bike service. Our $112M South Bend International Airport project to relocate our station from the airport’s east terminal to the west terminal is fully engineered, environmentally cleared, and locally financed, and is ready to receive federal funding. This project will save between 11 and 14 minutes of time for every train and will enhance safety by closing 19 at-grade crossings.
If I sound excited about the future of the SSL system, I am! The NICTD Board of Trustees, the best board in the country, selected its next leader of the SSL at our January meeting. Dave Dech, formerly the CEO of Tri-Rail in Florida, was unanimously elected to become SSL’s 3rd president in our nearly 50-year history, starting Monday. Dave is the perfect person to lead the railroad into the future and is highly regarded as one of the best leaders in the entire U.S. railroad industry. Dave has the passion, drive, and ability to lead this railroad into the future, and I can’t wait to see what improvements he brings to the system. Dave will lead an incredible team of employees who work tirelessly to bring you the best possible commuter rail service. In my opinion, we have the best employees in the entire railroad industry!
Finally, I am very excited and proud to announce the completion of our long-awaited West Lake Corridor project. This 8-mile line extension, which has been named the Monon Corridor, will run from our Gateway Station in north Hammond, with station stops at 173rd Street in Hammond, Ridge Road in Munster, and at the Munster/Dyer border. Passenger service will officially begin on the new Monon Corridor at 11:45 am on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. To prepare for our new service, we have created a new Monon Corridor webpage for you at https://mysouthshoreline.com/riders/monon-corridor-101/. The webpage contains the service schedule, information about how the line will operate, how and when to make transfers between the Lakeshore Corridor and Monon Corridor at the Gateway Station, and provides answers to frequently asked questions.
We are very excited to put the Monon Corridor into service, and look forward to having you, your family, friends, and colleagues as passengers.
As for me, I will be enjoying retirement with my wife, Carrie, who retired after a wonderful 37-year teaching career, in our forever home here, “Along the South Shore Line.” I will remain a loyal supporter of the SSL and will be cheering loudly for our continued success.
Thank you for your support of the SSL!
My best regards to all,
Michael Noland
President
South Shore Line / NICTD